Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), also known as chemical mechanical planarization, is a process typically used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and/or display elements. CMP processes may remove topographic features and materials from a partially-processed substrate to produce a flat surface for subsequent processing. CMP processes may use one or more rotating polishing pads pressed against a surface of a substrate. The polishing pads may be used with an abrasive chemically-active slurry applied to the pads. A slurry may be a suspension of abrasive solids in a liquid.
After a CMP process is performed repeatedly over a period of time, the polishing surface of the polishing pad may become glazed with an accumulation of slurry by-products and/or material removed from the substrate. Glazing may degrade the effectiveness of a polishing pad. A conditioning process using a pad conditioner may restore the effectiveness of the polishing pad. A pad conditioner may include an abrasive head that can be rubbed against a surface of the polishing pad to remove unwanted accumulations and to retexture the pad. However, while pad conditioning occurs, CMP processing of substrates may not, thus decreasing substrate throughput. Therefore, a need exists to provide pad conditioners that can quickly condition CMP polishing pads.